What is the difference between major clear bra brands?
Ok, this is going to be somewhat controversial.
Major brands are all tremendous clear bra/paint protection films! You might see different brands or auto detailing / clear bra companies that put down one another. We aren’t about doing that here at Harker Heights Ceramic Coatings. Assuming we aren’t talking about a “knock off” brand or a newer brand (not that newer brands of clear bra are bad, but we can’t speak to them), the result is almost indistinguishable to the client (and even us!).
Xpel, 3M, Legend, Global, Kavaca (Ceramic Pro), Suntek, and Eastman are great films.
Why would we “admit” this?
Most major brands are approximately 8mil thick (each mil is 1/100th of an inch), compared to 3mil or so for vinyl wraps. We discussed the difference between vinyl wraps and clear bra here:
So, then, what is the difference?
1. Most brands’ paint protection film secret formula is in their adhesive. Some clear bra companies have a higher “tack” (grab), some are less grabby, and some are in between. Some clear bra comes off the protective backing paper differently than others. Some PPF / clear bra films come with a “cap sheet,” – which protects the paint protection film during shipment. Most of these differences amount to difficulties (or lack thereof) for the installer (us). Once the film is on the paint and cured after a few weeks, there may be some nuanced differences between clear bra manufacturers, but we might not even know the difference when placed next to each other.
2. Price. There’s a range of pricing, just like any other product, and clear bra is no different. There are a ton of factors with clear bra pricing. Some companies have minimal sales representatives (who require commission), some have an entire structure around commissions, and some spend more on advertising and marketing. We primarily use Legend and STEK films. We use Legend films because we like the way it comes off the backing paper, and we appreciate the way it works on vehicles and doesn’t come with a cap sheet. We also like STEK paint protection films, and we use them for all fashion films (carbon fiber, etc.) and gloss films. Trust that we will always pick the best clear bra for you and your vehicle.
3. Business. Certain clear bra companies have minimum radiuses that require a maximum amount of paint protection film installers in that radius, and others want you to use their film and no other product exclusively. Here at Harker Heights Ceramic Coatings, we are interested in using the best product for your application, ceramic coating or paint protection film (clear bra). We don’t want to be bound by one specific brand. So that is why we choose the clear bra brands that we do.
